God’s Everlasting Love

31 What then shall we say to these things? vIf God is for us, who can be against us? 32 wHe who did not spare His own Son, but xdelivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? yIt is God who justifies. 34 zWho is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, awho is even at the right hand of God, bwho also makes intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written:

c“For Your sake we are killed all day long;

We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”

37 dYet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor eprincipalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Israel’s Rejection of Christ

9 I atell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, 2 bthat I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. 3 For cI could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my 1countrymen according to the flesh, 4 who are Israelites, dto whom pertain the adoption, ethe glory, fthe covenants, gthe giving of the law, hthe service of God, and ithe promises; 5 jof whom are the fathers and from kwhom, according to the flesh, Christ came, lwho is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.

Israel’s Rejection and God’s Purpose

6 mBut it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For nthey are not all Israel who are of Israel, 7 onor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, p“In Isaac your seed shall be called.” 8 That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but qthe children of the promise are counted as the seed. 9 For this is the word of promise: r“At this time I will come and Sarah shall have a son.”

10 And not only this, but when sRebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac 11 (for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of tHim who calls), 12 it was said to her, u“The older shall serve the younger.” 13 As it is written, v“Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.”

Israel’s Rejection and God’s Justice

14 What shall we say then? wIs there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! 15 For He says to Moses, x“I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.” 16 So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. 17 For ythe Scripture says to the Pharaoh, z“For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.” 18 Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He ahardens.

19 You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For bwho has resisted His will?” 20 But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? cWill the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 Does not the dpotter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make eone vessel for honor and another for dishonor?

22 What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering fthe vessels of wrath gprepared for destruction, 23 and that He might make known hthe riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had iprepared beforehand for glory, 24 even us whom He jcalled, knot of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?

25 As He says also in Hosea:

l“I will call them My people, who were not My people,

And her beloved, who was not beloved.”

26 “And mit shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them,

‘You are not My people,’

There they shall be called sons of the living God.”

27 Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel:

n“Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea,

oThe remnant will be saved.

28 For 2He will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness,

pBecause the Lord will make a short work upon the earth.”

29 And as Isaiah said before:

q“Unless the Lord of 3Sabaoth had left us a seed,

rWe would have become like Sodom,

And we would have been made like Gomorrah.”

Present Condition of Israel

30 What shall we say then? sThat Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, teven the righteousness of faith; 31 but Israel, upursuing the law of righteousness, vhas not attained to the law 4of righteousness. 32 Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, 5by the works of the law. For wthey stumbled at that stumbling stone. 33 As it is written:

x“Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense,

And ywhoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”

Israel Needs the Gospel

10 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for 1Israel is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness athat they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of bGod’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own crighteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. 4 For dChrist is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

5 For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, e“The man who does those things shall live by them.” 6 But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, f“Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down from above) 7 or, g“ ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? h“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9 that iif you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, j“Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” 12 For kthere is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for lthe same Lord over all mis rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For n“whoever calls oon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Israel Rejects the Gospel

14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear pwithout a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:

q“How beautiful are the feet of those who 2preach the gospel of peace,

Who bring glad tidings of good things!”

16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, r“Lord, who has believed our report?” 17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

18 But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed:

s“Their sound has gone out to all the earth,

tAnd their words to the ends of the world.”

19 But I say, did Israel not know? First Moses says:

u“I will provoke you to jealousy by those who are not a nation,

I will move you to anger by a vfoolish nation.”

20 But Isaiah is very bold and says:

w“I was found by those who did not seek Me;

I was made manifest to those who did not ask for Me.”

21 But to Israel he says:

x“All day long I have stretched out My hands

To a disobedient and contrary people.”

Israel’s Rejection Not Total

11 I say then, ahas God cast away His people? bCertainly not! For cI also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not cast away His people whom dHe foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying, 3 e“Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life”? 4 But what does the divine response say to him? f“I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 gEven so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace. 6 And hif by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. 1But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.

7 What then? iIsrael has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were jblinded. 8 Just as it is written:

k“God has given them a spirit of stupor,

lEyes that they should not see

And ears that they should not hear,

To this very day.”

9 And David says:

m“Let their table become a snare and a trap,

A stumbling block and a recompense to them.

10 Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see,

And bow down their back always.”

Israel’s Rejection Not Final

11 I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But nthrough their 2fall, to provoke them to ojealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. 12 Now if their 3fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness!

13 For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as pI am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, 14 if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and qsave some of them. 15 For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be rbut life from the dead?

16 For if sthe firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches. 17 And if tsome of the branches were broken off, uand you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and 4fatness of the olive tree, 18 vdo not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.

19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.” 20 Well said. Because of wunbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. 22 Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, 5goodness, xif you continue in His goodness. Otherwise yyou also will be cut off. 23 And they also, zif they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?

25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be awise in your own 6opinion, that bblindness in part has happened to Israel cuntil the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be 7saved, as it is written:

d“The Deliverer will come out of Zion,

And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob;

27 For ethis is My covenant with them,

When I take away their sins.”

28 Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are fbeloved for the sake of the fathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are girrevocable. 30 For as you hwere once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, 31 even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy. 32 For God has 8committed them iall to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.

33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!

34 “For who has known the jmind of the Lord?

Or kwho has become His counselor?”

35 “Or lwho has first given to Him

And it shall be repaid to him?”

36 For mof Him and through Him and to Him are all things, nto whom be glory forever. Amen.

Living Sacrifices to God

12 I abeseech 1you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies ba living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your 2reasonable service. 2 And cdo not be conformed to this world, but dbe transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may eprove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Serve God with Spiritual Gifts

3 For I say, fthrough the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, gnot to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt hto each one a measure of faith. 4 For ias we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5 so jwe, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. 6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is kgiven to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us lprophesy in proportion to our faith; 7 or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; mhe who teaches, in teaching; 8 nhe who exhorts, in exhortation; ohe who gives, with liberality; phe who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, qwith cheerfulness.

Behave Like a Christian

9 rLet love be without hypocrisy. sAbhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. 10 tBe kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, uin honor giving preference to one another; 11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 vrejoicing in hope, wpatient 3in tribulation, xcontinuing steadfastly in prayer; 13 ydistributing to the needs of the saints, zgiven 4to hospitality.

14 aBless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 bRejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 cBe of the same mind toward one another. dDo not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.

17 eRepay no one evil for evil. fHave 5regard for good things in the sight of all men. 18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, glive peaceably with all men. 19 Beloved, hdo not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, i“Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 Therefore

j“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;

If he is thirsty, give him a drink;

For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but kovercome evil with good.

Submit to Government

13 Let every soul be asubject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists bthe authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will 1bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? cDo what is good, and you will have praise from the same. 4 For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. 5 Therefore dyou must be subject, not only because of wrath ebut also for conscience’ sake. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing. 7 fRender therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.

Love Your Neighbor

8 Owe no one anything except to love one another, for ghe who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, h“You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” 2“You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, i“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore jlove is the fulfillment of the law.

Put on Christ

11 And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time kto awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. lTherefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and mlet us put on the armor of light. 13 nLet us walk 3properly, as in the day, onot in revelry and drunkenness, pnot in lewdness and lust, qnot in strife and envy. 14 But rput on the Lord Jesus Christ, and smake no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

The Law of Liberty

14 Receive aone who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. 2 For one believes he bmay eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. 3 Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and clet not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. 4 dWho are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.

5 eOne person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who fobserves the day, observes it to the Lord; 1and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for ghe gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. 7 For hnone of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. 8 For if we ilive, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For jto this end Christ died 2and rose and lived again, that He might be kLord of both the dead and the living. 10 But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For lwe shall all stand before the judgment seat of 3Christ. 11 For it is written:

m“As I live, says the Lord,

Every knee shall bow to Me,

And every tongue shall confess to God.”

12 So then neach of us shall give account of himself to God. 13 Therefore let us not judge one another 4anymore, but rather resolve this, onot to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.